Death Be Blue (The Terra Vane Series Book 1)

by Katie Epstein

  The rogue shifter recovered more quickly than I would have liked and, after a brief shake of his furry head, he came at me again.

  Readying myself for another fight, I raised my arms to engage. Another roar broke the silence of the night and I sighed with relief. I knew that roar. I knew it well.

  Kaleb, in his wolf form, came crashing out of the trees, poised with an open mouth to descend upon his prey. The unexpected move was fast enough to take the rogue down, and before I could blink, Kaleb had the rogue whimpering on the ground beneath his paws.

  My ego felt a little stifled that this had been the second time that Kaleb had come to my aid in the matter of two days. But I wasn’t complaining—especially when I had no weapon to hand to stun the rogue into submission.

  Cole would no doubt rub this in my face when he caught wind of it. And it was with that thought that Kaleb shimmered back to human form.

  “Hey Terra,” Kaleb said with a grin on his face. He pushed down at the rogue shifter to let him know he was still the more dominant one, even without the fur.

  “How the hell did you know I was here?” I asked him as I wiped the sweat from my brow with my arm. My breathing was finally returning back to normal.

  “Rosie called me and said you’d had a vision. Didn’t she tell you?”

  “I think she was about to when I raced off after this guy. Mayra’s with the victim trying to heal her as we speak.” I paused and let the shivers come forth. “It doesn’t look good.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed as he glanced at the blood on the rogue’s mouth, “but she’s in good hands with Mayra. We need to call this in.”

  “We’re supposed to be off-duty.”

  “And I’m supposed to be with my family right now. You owe me big time when Cole gets here.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I waved him off as I engaged the comms. “At least you’re related to him. He’s not going to try to fry your ass when he finds out that you’ve had to come to my aid again.”

  “That’s true.” He turned to sit on the shifter to keep him in place. “Can I have your ass when it’s cooked to medium rare?”

  “You’re an idiot,” I muttered. Then I spoke loud enough through the comms to say, “This is EFA Terra Vane, reporting a rogue shifter on the loose. Please engage all services.”

  “Badge number, Terra Vane,” the voice requested from the other end.

  “SC1243.” I closed my eyes as the reply I’d expected came through.

  “You have a desistance order on you, Agent Vane. I must engage the Chief as part of this request. Do you comply?”

  I hesitated as I glanced at a grinning Kaleb. Letting out a sigh I replied, “Yes. Yes, I comply.”

  This was so not going to be fun.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Cole finally found me in Mayra’s shop.

  I must admit I’d been a coward and fled the scene before he’d arrived, citing the excuse that I needed to have my injuries checked out.

  Mayra and Rosie had still been with the woman when I’d arrived back at the crime scene, conferring with a healer from the local Healer Hub. Since it was an agent matter, the Enforcer Bio Agents now had jurisdiction and the healers would report to them regarding the woman.

  Due to the woman’s condition, Mayra had to induce her into a healing coma. When the Enforcer Bio Agents had turned up, she filled them in on what had been done to help. From that point on they traveled back to the hub with the healer to do their tests on the woman there. And finally, the three of us headed back to Mayra’s shop.

  Glancing at Rosie’s exhausted expression, I told her to go home and rest but she’d stubbornly refused. Now we were all feeling solemn as Mayra tended to my injuries while I sat on top of the counter next to her gold and copper cash register. The Mystical Moon readily embraced the mechanical brass and wooden workings that were common with the Victorian Quarter. But it was Mayra’s magical flair that gave the shop its substance.

  Shelves upon shelves were laden with potions and spell books, as glass cabinets kept her top selling crystal jewelry in their hold. Creepy dolls with sewn up cheeks and lifeless eyes sat among her collection of crystal balls and dragon ornaments. With pretty stars sparkling against the deep blue and black colors that caressed the walls.

  The shop was cleansed and energized regularly, so there weren’t many who would feel uncomfortable once they walked in. It was a place that welcomed, healed and blessed regardless of the weird and scary stuff she liked to sell. But I’d also learned that scary didn’t always advertise itself. What we often classed as scary were sometimes the things that protected us.

  My wounds were superficial Mayra had told me once she’d thoroughly assessed them. Now she was applying a balm that would take twenty-four hours to heal the wounds completely. It made me grateful for the magic of Portiside medicine.

  “I’ll try and salvage your jacket for you,” Mayra said as she finished up. “I know how much you love the thing.”

  “No colorful patches,” I warned and she chuckled. The top of her hair had been backcombed within an inch of its life while the rest of it flowed down her back. It made her look like she’d just rolled out of bed. But Mayra—like her clothes—appreciated a wild fashion sense. It suited her in a way. She would never fully adopt conventional practices, and that was Mayra through and through. She liked to blend the old with the new and it reflected in her long skirts and corsets—or draping gowns depending on her mood. Today, she’d opted for the corset, skirt and a long-sleeved overcoat with a black lace shawl tied around her neck. Her hands, steady as a rock, were garbed in black lace gloves to match.

  With her unique dress sense and unusual hair and eye color, many struggled to be around Mayra for long once her personality was thrown into the mix. She was someone whose mood could rapidly change depending on what magic she’d channeled that day, and a lot of people couldn’t cope with her eccentricity. I could, though—and so could Rosie. We both adored her.

  “I promise I won’t stick on polka dots or use magic that could interfere with your shields.” Mayra rolled her eyes. “You can trust me with sewing the thing. I’m a master at sewing. You know I make my own clothes. I think I should be a little offended,” she huffed.

  “You know she would sleep in that jacket given half the chance, Mayra,” Rosie added as she stroked Vixen, Mayra’s cat. Vixen curled up on the counter next to me in all her dark fur glory. Her purring was proof that she was reveling in Rosie’s attention.

  “Don’t I know it.” Mayra placed the lid back on the salve then wrapped my arms quickly and efficiently with a modified bandage of her own making. I could already feel the tingle as it began to stitch my wounds together.

  “I don’t do Portiside fashion. You know that I can cope with everything thrown at me here aside from the clothes. In that regard, I’m Earthside through and through.” I pouted a little. “And I love that jacket.”

  “Hence why I’ll fix if up for you.” Mayra patted my arm. Suddenly, the shop door rattled as someone knocked hard upon it.

  “I’ll get it,” Rosie said as she scooped up Vixen in her arms to continue the fuss. Vixen was happy to comply but I knew who it was behind that door from the silhouette alone. I wasn’t in a rush for her to answer it.

  “Time to face the music,” I muttered and Mayra leaned in closer once she’d finished bandaging me up.

  “Listen,” she said, her voice lowered, “I had an urge to do a card reading for you earlier. And I need you to know that, no matter how many times I shuffled, every card came out blue.”

  Everything inside me froze at her words as I stared blankly back at her. “Blue?” I asked, playing down the fact that she’d just creeped me out a little. The blue circle in my vision, the blue around both the wendigo’s and rogue’s irises. And now this…It couldn’t all be a coincidence. “How can the tarot cards only read blue?”

  “I don’t mean that they read blue,” she whispered, “but that they were blue. Every card in the spread was from the
air element. You know what that means.”

  Glancing over Mayra’s shoulder, I saw Rosie open the door to Cole. The expression he wore was grim. His lips were pinched together and those unforgiving eyes of his focused directly on me.

  Mayra rushed on. “Every card drawn was from the suit of swords. Every single one. Do you know what the odds are of that happening?”

  “No,” I replied, dragging my attention back to her. I’d tried to connect my gifts with the tool of the tarot many times, but I could never achieve what Mayra could. “No, I don’t.”

  “Just be careful for me, okay? Something is going to put a target on your back if you’re not careful, I could tell that much, and it centers around the present. I can feel it in my bones.”

  “So, what else did the cards say?” I asked as I noticed Cole stalking over toward me.

  “Nothing too in-depth so I’ll have another look at it. Try and come by tomorrow and I’ll deal a hand while you’re here.” She grabbed my jacket and turned to smile at the same time Cole reached us. “Hey Cole. Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to fix Terra’s jacket. Rosie!”

  “I’m here, I’m here,” Rosie said. “No need to burst my eardrums.”

  “Come out back with me.” Mayra ushered her along. They both disappeared around the curtained door behind the counter where I still sat. I felt vulnerable in this position. It looked like Cole thought so too because he walked over and stood directly in front of me.

  “I don’t even know where to start,” he said, his lips pressed firmly together. “Harboring my brother. Chasing after a rogue shifter while off-duty and with a desistance order on your back. No weapon and no badge to protect you where the protocol is concerned. Do you never think?”

  “What did Kaleb tell you?”

  Cole closed his eyes as if he was searching for solace. I had to internally berate my hand for wanting to reach out and console him. My hand had a lot to answer for.

  “He mentioned something about you having a vision and then finding the woman. He also said he had to save the day after you were almost mangled. Again,” he drew out.

  Damn Kaleb! He really had a way of stirring the pot. “Did he also tell you about the rogue’s eyes?”

  “Yes.” He let out a long sigh and his shoulders sagged a little. “That’s why I’m here. You need to keep quiet on that fact and keep it out of the files for now.”

  “Is that an order?”

  “Yes. It is.”

  “But I’m off-duty. You can’t give me orders.”

  “Are you trying to be smart with me?”

  I wanted to say ‘yes’ but I bit my tongue. Instead, my curiosity got the better of me. “Why the need to keep it quiet?”

  He rubbed a hand down his face, exhaustion tugging at his features. Any sleep he’d tried to have had obviously been minimal. He also looked hesitant to share, so I made sure I kept my mouth shut while waiting for him to speak.

  “The lab results on the wendigo came back. They were red flagged.”

  “What?” I asked, as my mouth dropped open in surprise. Red flagged meant that it was for Consilium eyes only, and thus above Cole’s head. And that was high—trust me.

  “It could mean that they’re red flagging it because of the circumstances of the wendigo escaping the Territorial Shifter Hold. But I can’t be certain. And I can’t risk them knowing about this yet. I don’t want this situation being red flagged too and stopping us from investigating further into what is going on in my city.”

  The possessiveness of his claim sent shivers dancing their way down my spine.

  “So you want me to lie?” I questioned, not really caring if he wanted me to keep my mouth shut on this. Portiside was my playground too, and I didn’t like the fact that two dangerous citizens had reared their heads with a potential drug thrown in the mix.

  “I didn’t say lie.”

  “But you want me to omit evidence?”

  “It’s not evidence. It’s based on your words only. There is no evidence to back up your claims.”

  “So you want me to bend the truth?”

  He took a step closer to me, positioning himself between my legs. I was about two seconds too late in realizing that I’d pushed him too far.

  “What do you want?” he asked instead and I blinked a few times in surprise at his question. I wasn’t expecting that. He must be desperate for me to keep my mouth shut.

  “I want the desistance order removed.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “That still stands.”

  “Defer it then,” I negotiated, “and take it down to three days. That’s plenty of time for you to make an example of me.”

  “Defer it for how long?” he asked, and I felt the internal excitement of winning a little leeway from someone who was as control-obsessed as Cole.

  “Until this case is over. Also, assign both me and Kaleb to investigate the attack of the woman. Keep all links to the wendigo out of it and we’ll focus on hitting the street and questioning a few witnesses to see if they saw anything. We can dig deeper at the same time.”

  “On one condition.”

  “What?”

  “That you liaise with both me and Dan and keep us in the loop every step of the way. I called him before I left to come here and he was working the paperwork to get through Immigration Control as we speak. He should be here within the hour.”

  “Done,” I said quickly before he could change his mind. I loved Dan like he was my own, and I owed the man ten times over for saving me from that hell pit of a hospital. Why Cole was bringing him over from Earthside to support this investigation on the quiet was a little bit worrying though. I wondered what Cole knew that I didn’t. “But we need to be kept in the loop, too. We need to know what we’re facing.”

  “Fine.” He gave me a brief nod of agreement. “But only if you promise to not do something so brainlessly stupid like you did tonight. Or like you did with the wendigo. The duration of the deferred desistance order will depend on that.”

  He was so annoying to negotiate with. He didn’t give me an inch. “Alright,” I snapped and leaned back slightly to put some space between us. Having him this close was causing heat to rise inside me. I had to remember that this man was my boss. A very annoying, controlling boss. “But I didn’t go out looking for trouble, you know. I was walking through the Victorian Quarter to see Mayra with Rosie at my side. You can’t blame me for following up on a vision of someone being hurt.”

  “And you didn’t think to call it in?”

  “There wouldn’t have been time.”

  “I could have had agents out to you in five minutes. So, I’ll ask again. Why didn’t you call it in?”

  Why hadn’t I called it in? Come to think about it, I suppose I should have. But I hadn’t thought twice about running off and saving the woman. Was Cole right when he said I had a death wish? And had I hindered the woman’s chances by not calling it in? Doubt filled my mind, and it must have spread to my face judging by Cole’s smug expression.

  “Get yourself cleaned up and meet me in the agency in one hour,” was all he said before leaving me sitting there on the counter top hot, flustered and full of doubt. Not exactly how a woman wanted to feel after having a hot shifter like Cole in between her legs.

  My cheeks burned red at how that comment sounded in my head. And I warily slid off the counter to reassure myself that Mayra wasn’t decorating my jacket with bright pink polka dots.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Special Agent in Charge Dan Vasquez of the Seattle Criminal Division of the FBI, was the very reason I was living and breathing in Portiside. He was of Elven heritage, and his real name was Amanar once upon a time, but he’d changed it many years ago when he’d opted to stay on Earthside with his wife, Joanne.

  Dan was from an elf clan called the Elvietta, a race who had darker skin tones when compared to some of their kin. With his dark hair, now almost gray, his profile was one of Hispanic heritage as a third-generation American. Yet if yo
u looked deeper, with a very open mind, you would discover he was actually a thousand-year-old elf.

  Dan’s gifts were ones that were better suited to Earthside. He was known as a Finder. Finders had the capability of recognizing certain traits within others. And they could detect the simmering of one of those traits that may have been awakened through puberty or trauma. It wasn’t exactly a precise analysis though. While Dan might not know exactly what was going on inside a person, he could detect enough to efficiently turn him into a divining rod for the above-average human. That was how he’d found me, and the rest, as they say, was history.

  Cole, Kaleb and I were waiting in one of the conference rooms of the agency for Dan to arrive. The room itself reminded me of Cole. Uniformed, neutral and streamlined. It had no windows and the white walls were reminiscent of the hospital I grew up in. I didn’t like to be in here for very long, and it should be a stark reminder of why Cole and I didn’t mesh well together. He liked order, control and certainty. Me? I preferred the surprises life brought: the chaos, and the color.

  Holding on to that thought, I looked up when the door to the conference room opened. In walked Dan Vasquez with a big grin on his face. He laughed when I stood up and ran into his arms. Away from prying eyes, I treated him like the favorite uncle I’d never had.

  “How are you doing, kid?” Dan asked, before taking a seat beside Kaleb and Cole. They both knew of my and Dan’s history, so our behavior was second nature to them.

  “Making trouble as per my namesake.” I pointed to his stomach before sitting down next to him. “Joanne is feeding you up, I see?”

  “Never. Elves don’t get fat.”

  “Must the magical glamor then,” I teased, speaking of the magical camouflage that made his ears less pointed and his face not as narrow as the one he’d been born with.

  “You’ve not changed, have you?” He rubbed my hair, and I pushed his hands away.

  “Knock it off.” I righted myself and gave him some space to get settled. I removed my beloved jacket that Mayra had mended and paused when I saw all three men looking over at me.